Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor Sasha Tetu sasha.tetu@mq.edu.au 14ER 201 mon-thurs
Credit points	Credit points 10
Prerequisites	Prerequisites 130cp at 1000 level or above including BMOL2401 or CBMS215 or CBMS202
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description Applied and Medical Microbiology examines the microbial world and how it interacts with our own. A key focus will be the role of microorganisms in human health and disease, covering topics ranging from the role of the human microbiome and the body's natural defences in protecting against microbial disease to epidemiology and the pathogenesis of infectious microorganisms. This unit covers medically important bacteria, fungi and viruses as well as antimicrobial agents, microbial resistance and susceptibility testing. Topics in applied microbiology include biotechnology, synthetic biology, food and water microbiology. In the hands-on laboratory sessions students gain skills in the current tools and techniques used in medical and applied microbiology laboratories. This unit is especially valuable for students majoring in biomolecular sciences, biology, and medical sciences.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

ULO1: Explain principles of how microorganisms colonise different niches, and how they respond to their chemical, physiological and physical environment, in complex communities.
ULO2: Demonstrate key practical skills in working with microorganisms, including being able to apply and adapt methods to identify microorganisms and the use of good microbiological practices.
ULO3: Integrate ideas, discuss and communicate results effectively for verbal and written presentation including sourcing appropriate microbiology literature to support scientific data.
ULO4: Work cooperatively in a team through engagement, exercising initiative, and with accountability in order to maximise the achievement of goals.
ULO5: Aquire knowledge and understanding of how microbiology concepts apply to diverse areas such as medicine and health, industry, agriculture and biotechnology.

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit you must:

Achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%
Attendance and participation in 80% practical classes is highly recommended since it will be difficult to pass the unit without obtaining marks from these activities.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration.

Late submissions will only be accepted for the 'Practical and tutorial work' (lab book) assessment task for this unit.

For all other tasks late sumbission will NOT be accepted unless Special Consideration is granted.

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Weekly practice-based tasks: To pass the unit you need to demonstrate ongoing development of skills and application of knowledge in 8 out of 10 of the weekly practical laboratory classes. If you miss a weekly practical laboratory class due to a serious, unavoidable and significant disruption, contact your convenor ASAP as you may be able to attend another class that week.

If it is not possible to attend another class, you should still contact your convenor for access to class material to review in your own time.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Practical and SGTA	20%	No	weeks 1-12
Practical preparation and lab skills	0%	No	weeks 1-12
Lecture content-based questions	5%	No	weeks 2-12
Mid Semester Test	15%	No	week 7
Microbe presentation	10%	No	week 9
Final Examination	50%	No	Examination period

Practical and SGTA

Assessment Type ¹: Lab book
Indicative Time on Task ²: 16 hours
Due: weeks 1-12
Weighting: 20%

Pre-practical exercises, performance in the practicals, SGTA and post-practical exercises and laboratory record keeping will be used to calculate the final practical mark. The tasks are designed to encourage you to engage with practical material and develop useful workplace skills including: planning and time management, safe working practices and good record keeping.